HALTON'S alleygate scheme has been pronounced a resounding success - by residents who have seen crime levels plummet.

Halton Borough Council inter-viewed almost 500 people living in the Appleton ward of Widnes, asking them about how the alleygates had changed their feelings of security.

And 95% of respondents agreed that the installation of alleygates had made them feel safer in their homes.

Appleton was the first area of Halton to benefit from the scheme, which saw back alleys fitted with gates in an attempt to cut crime, anti-social behaviour and fly-tip-ping.

And the scheme was so successful that the council was inundated with requests from other Halton areas to install the gates in their neighbourhoods as well.

Now the council is three-quarters of the way through its alleygating programme, there are more than 100 gates installed in the borough and residents interviewed in Appleton noted how the scheme had reduced violent crime, burglary and vandalism in their area, with 75% saying that incidents of flytipping had been particularly cut.